2025 Reading Wrap-up: Our Highs, Mids, and Lows

Emma, Tabitha, and Maura are back with the Dearly Beloathed duology which consists of The Irresistible Urge to Fall in Love With Your Enemy and The Exquisite Torment of Loving Your Enemy also by Brigitte Knightley. We’re back to recording in person so this episode is full of chaos, laughs, and a lot of tangents about Naruto.EPISODE INCLUDES SPOILERSContent warnings for the books and episode: The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy & The Exquisite Torment of Loving Your EnemyEnjoy our recaps? Buy us a kofi! 💗⁠Follow us:TikTok: ⁠recap.romantasy⁠Instagram: recapping.romantasyThreads: recapping.romantasyEmail us: ⁠[email protected]⁠Don't forget to send this podcast to your fellow romantasy readers!Music credit: Ian Aisling

Emma, Tabitha, and Maura toss their usual notes and embrace chaos! Did Tasha Suri write the perfect book? The Isle in the Silver Sea was so good we couldn’t recap it (maybe because of the summer malaise that made us take an unscheduled break in our pod schedule--sorry about that), so we got together and book clubbed it instead. Did it work? Not at all. Is it even a little bit coherent? Also no. But did Tasha Suri write an amazing book? Resounding YES. Get your magic ink and shiny swords, we’re going tale hunting.EPISODE INCLUDES SPOILERSContent warnings for The Isle the Silver Sea and episode:bodily fluids, blood/violence, loss of control and autonomy, racism/xenophobia, sexism, confinement, grief/loss, torture, profanity.Enjoy our recaps? Buy us a kofi! 💗⁠Follow us:TikTok: ⁠recap.romantasy⁠Instagram: recapping.romantasyThreads: recapping.romantasyEmail us: ⁠[email protected]⁠Don't forget to send this podcast to your fellow romantasy readers!

Emma, Tabitha, and Maura get wet & wild as they recap In the Veins of the Drowning by Kalie Cassidy. We argue about whether Jacob Elordi would qualify as a twink and Emma mentions Pirates of the Caribbean way too much for a story that doesn't mention pirates at all. EPISODE INCLUDES SPOILERSContent warnings for In the Veins of the Drowning Enjoy our recaps? Buy us a kofi! 💗⁠⁠Follow us:TikTok: ⁠recap.romantasy⁠Instagram: recapping.romantasyThreads: recapping.romantasyEmail us: ⁠[email protected]⁠Don't forget to send this podcast to your fellow romantasy readers!Music credit: Ian Aisling

Emma, Tabitha, and Maura put on their flannels and try to stay dry in the Den (aka Olympia, Washington)! Mate by Ali Hazelwood is the sequel to Bride, which we absolutely loved. This time it’s human-werewolf hybrid Serena’s turn at alpha love with Koen, leader of the Northwest pack and lover of insults favored by 14-year-old boys. Unfortunately Serena has a lot to learn about wolf life, and the vampires, naked werewolves, bloody history, and a potential terminal illness are getting in the way of Serena learning about the important things like why she can’t stop rolling around in Koen’s laundry.EPISODE INCLUDES SPOILERSContent warnings for Mate and episode:Death, blood, abduction, suicide, graphic sexual content, cursing, cults, discussion of terminal illness, drugs, discussion of infertility and pregnancy, attempted murder, and violence.Enjoy our recaps? Buy us a kofi! 💗⁠Follow us:TikTok: ⁠recap.romantasy⁠Instagram: recapping.romantasyThreads: recapping.romantasyEmail us: ⁠[email protected]⁠Don't forget to send this podcast to your fellow romantasy readers!Music credit: Ian Aisling

Emma, Tabitha, and Maura pack their trunks and enter Phantasma! What’s your greatest fear? Ours is chaotic previously self-published romantasies that get picked up by big publishers and then distributed with no thought or editing! Ophelia Grimm enters Phantasma to save her sister from her own decisions, immediately stumbles into a hot anime ghost, and struggles to not fall in love. Beware the over the top game show competitions, lengthy riddles, and multiple interrupted sexy times!EPISODE INCLUDES SPOILERSContent warnings: explicit sexual content, blood, death, violence, and cursing.Enjoy our recaps? Buy us a kofi! 💗⁠Follow us:TikTok: ⁠recap.romantasy⁠Instagram: recapping.romantasyThreads: recapping.romantasyEmail us: ⁠[email protected]⁠Don't forget to send this podcast to your fellow romantasy readers!Music credit: Ian Aisling

Emma, Tabitha, and Maura saddle up with Married to the Alien Cowboy by Ursa Dax! Cherry is a human woman running from a crime lord, and Silar is an alien convict who has agreed to participate in a mail-order bride program for his prison planet. What could go wrong? Cherry and her beloved cast iron pan are about to find out.EPISODE INCLUDES SPOILERSContent warnings for MARRIED TO THE ALIEN COWBOY and episode: explicit sexual content and language, murder, violenceEnjoy our recaps? Buy us a kofi! 💗⁠Follow us:TikTok: ⁠recap.romantasy⁠Instagram: recapping.romantasyThreads: recapping.romantasyEmail us: ⁠[email protected]⁠Don't forget to send this podcast to your fellow romantasy readers!Music credit: Ian Aisling

Emma, Tabitha, and Maura talk about City of Bones by Cassandra Clare! Is this the episode where we get canceled? God, we hope not! EPISODE INCLUDES SPOILERSContent warnings for book and and episode: attempted murder, murder, character death, child abuse, homophobia, kidnapping, memory manipulation (nonconsensual), violence, graphic content, swearing, and haterade. Enjoy our recaps? Buy us a kofi! 💗⁠Follow us:TikTok: ⁠recap.romantasy⁠Instagram: recapping.romantasyThreads: recapping.romantasyEmail us: ⁠[email protected]⁠Don't forget to send this podcast to your fellow romantasy readers!Music credit: Ian Aisling

Emma, Tabitha, and Maura ring in the new year with Ali Hazelwood! SO MUCH ALI HAZELWOOD.We all know Ali Hazelwood was busy in 2025. In today’s episode we cover the three novellas she published (First, Hot For Slayer, Bound) in what appears to be a descent into madness, but in a fun way. EPISODE INCLUDES SPOILERS for the fate of Eleven in Stranger Things. Enjoy our recaps? Buy us a kofi! 💗⁠Follow us:TikTok: ⁠recap.romantasy⁠Instagram: recapping.romantasyThreads: recapping.romantasyEmail us: ⁠[email protected]⁠Don't forget to send this podcast to your fellow romantasy readers!Music credit: Ian Aisling

Emma, Tabitha, and Maura break down the 2025 books they loved, loathed, and were just kind of...meh. Expect Ali Hazelwood, Heated Rivalry, and an unusual amount of Shrek.Thank you to everyone who subscribed and listened to us this year! We plan to bring you a fresh batch of episodes in 2026, as well as some fun surprises! Stay tuned...Enjoy our recaps? Buy us a kofi! 💗⁠Follow us:TikTok: ⁠recap.romantasy⁠Instagram: recapping.romantasyThreads: recapping.romantasyEmail us: ⁠[email protected]⁠Don't forget to send this podcast to your fellow romantasy readers!Music credit: Ian Aisling

Emma, Tabitha, and Maura get into the holiday spirit with Krampus, eggnog flavored fluids, and Christmas cloacas! Join us as we recap, "Cry for Krampus" by Aiden Pierce, "Christmas with the Monster" by Sabrina Cross, and "Kissed by the Krampus" by L Eveland.EPISODE INCLUDES SPOILERSContent warnings for the episode and books discussed: strong language, sexual content, violence, murder, gore, dub-con, and PTSD.Enjoy our recaps? Buy us a kofi! 💗⁠Follow us:TikTok: ⁠recap.romantasy⁠Instagram: recapping.romantasyThreads: recapping.romantasyEmail us: ⁠[email protected]⁠Don't forget to send this podcast to your fellow romantasy readers!Music credit: Ian Aisling